By John Egbokhan

Former Secretary-Gener-al of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Sani Toro, has said that the Super Eagles now have their 2010 World Cup qualification in their hands after their goalless draw with Tunisia in Rades on Saturday.

Speaking yesterday with Sports Vanguard, Toro noted that coach Shuaibu Amodu’s Eagles  now have their work cut out as they must win their next three matches to progress to the first World Cup to hold on African soil next year. Tunisia currently occupy the top position with seven points, followed by Nigeria, who have five points, two ahead of Kenya, in third place, while Mozambique, are last on the table, with one point.

SAFE-HANDS.....Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, tips the ball over the reach of Tunisia’s Karim Hagui, during their World Cup qualifier on June 20. It ended goalless.

Nigeria’s next match is a home fixture against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on September 6, and Toro, who was scribe of the NFA, when Nigeria qualified for their first World Cup in 1994, said that is one match that the Eagles are condemned to win to stand any chance of toppling the north Africans on the table.

“We are now back on track for the World Cup with the result that the team pulled off in Tunisia. It was not easy going there for the draw because that was the objective that coach Amodu wanted to achieve going form the strategy he deployed.

“It could have been a different story entirely if they had lost and that is why I think the draw is worth celebrating for the time being, even though, they still need to do more to get to the World Cup. It is important that they must raise their game in the next three matches. “What is more important is that they now know that they must win their next three matches to reach South Africa and that involves playing at their maximum”, added Toro, who urged Nigeria to continue supporting the team en masse.